“Shit.” I’d been hoping she’d be here, but she must be out in the field. While I really needed to get the arrow analyzed, I didn’t have time to wait around. I made a mental note to text Cara later and took the elevator back down to my car where I Googled, enjoying the breeze coming through the open windows. Within a few weeks the North Carolinian heat would be brutal.
The page loaded and I scanned the results. The search term demon + Ver gave me a few options. There was Verrier, known as the demon of disobedience, or Verrin, the demon of impatience. I scrolled, occasionally lifting my head to keep an eye on my surroundings. Few people would start shit this close to the Mage Council’s facility, but it paid to be careful.
Neither of those demons had been seen on Earth during the past fifty years. That didn’t mean they weren’t going by different names. Maybe they’d just been careful not to draw attention to themselves. I blew out a breath, running my thumb down the list.
There.
Vercan. His social media listed his home as Raleigh, and once I searched his name directly, it was evident that he’d been here when my mother died. Turns out, he was a proponent of ‘demon’s rights,’ and he’d been one of the first demons to champion cross-species relationships several decades ago.
I raised an eyebrow at that. Even fifty years ago, those kinds of relationships could get you killed. Now things were changing, and there was even a dating app devoted to paranormals.
I did a little more online stalking, my anticipation making it difficult to focus. Vercan was my best lead, so I’d start with him and check out the other demons if he proved to be a bust. I went still as I found a Facebook post he’d been tagged in. He was on the guest list for one of Samael’s parties tonight. One of hisprivateparties. My mouth went dry at the memory of the last party I’d attended.
Samael was the biggest, baddest demon on the East Coast– and likely the country. Nothing happened in his territory without his express permission, and he played nice with the Mage Council because he chose to— not because he had to.
It was his obsidian tower that loomed over Durham, sticking out like a sore thumb. And while the mages liked to pretend they were in charge, everyone knew they bowed to the high demons.
Samael’s masquerade parties were legendary. Humans, mages, witches, fae, even— I’d heard— the occasional werewolf would attend, although the latter never stayed long— their alpha didn’t approve. The parties allowed the demons present to feed off the attendees' lust, lies, and greed, while the attendees got to brag about partying with the demons. A win-win for assholes.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if tonight was one of Samael’s exclusive, invite-only kind of parties. I scanned the tower’s website and grimaced. Samael had just held a masquerade party for the public a few nights ago, which meant the next one could be weeks away. And Vercan was due to fly to Europe in a few days.
This was my best chance.
I chewed on my lower lip. When my sister and I were growing up, my mom had one rule. One instruction that she repeated ad nauseum: stay away from the demons.
But what if the demons could help me find out who killed her?
I started my car and pulled away from the curb. As long as I could get into the party, I could stay out of Samael’s way and have a quick chat with Vercan. Unfortunately, my dagger would have to stay behind.
Since high demons can smell— and feed off— lies, I’d figured it wouldn’t do any harm if I “borrowed” the Mistilteinn Dagger. Even learning it wasSamael’sdagger, and that it was guarded by adragonhadn’t been enough to deter me.
The scariest part hadn’t been the dragon. The scariest part of my shenanigans had been dancing with Samael so I could get close enough to steal a single hair from him, allowing me to break his wards without him noticing. The thought of revisiting the demon’s tower made me tremble.
If he recognized me as the woman responsible for stealing his dagger, I was worse than dead. My hands tightened on the steering wheel. As long as I didn’t rouse suspicion, I’d be okay. And I wasn’t losing this lead.
Decision made. I was going to the party, and I knew just who could help me get in. I turned the car around. My day-drinking friend wouldn’t be hard to find.
The sun was already beginning to set as I parked my car on Main Street. Meredith’s Bar was a squat, brick building that had seen better days. It had an outdoor seating area in the back, but most people chose to stay inside, where they could keep an eye on everyone who walked through the front door.
Steve was slumped on his usual stool at the bar, staring into his drink.
There weren’t many places in the city where paranormals could let their guard down and have a drink without watching their backs. Steve was a human, but working for paranormals didn’t usually make humans popular amongst their own kind. I’d made sure to keep an eye on his schedule, and today was Steve’s day off.
Steve always looked slightly disheveled, as if he’d just gotten out of bed, and today was no different. He needed a shave, his glasses were smudged, and there was a yellow stain on his shirt. Behind his glasses, his grey eyes were slightly blurry— but they sharpened on my face as I sat down next to him.
“What do you want?”
“Can’t I just want the pleasure of your company?”
Steve’s brow furrowed, and he pushed his dirty blond hair out of his eyes. “The fact that you’re using that tone with your ‘I need something’ smile tells me everything I need to know.”
I dropped the smile and replaced it with a scowl. “I was trying to be charming.”
“Try harder.”
“Fine. I need a favor.”
He slid me a suspicious look. “What kind of favor?”
